Galaxy Angel II  The lovely Katherine
by WithoutMorals-Revived
Summary: Something strange is going on with Kazuya. He seems to be paying an awful lot of attention to a new waitress working in the Luxiole's Tea Lounge. He's hiding something, and no one hides anything from Anise Azeat!


Disclaimer: Galaxy Angel II, the Rune Angel Troupe, Kazuya Shiranami, Tact Mayers and assorted locations, items and technology are property of BROCCOLI and are used without permission.

This takes place in Chapter 8 of Galaxy Angel II: Zettai Ryouki no Tobira's special route. Chapter 8 is where Kazuya and his chosen Angel go off on vacation together and grow closer, but in the special route Kazuya doesn't choose any of the team. In addition, instead of going to the resort planet Hokkori (the way he does in the regular routes), he stays aboard the Luxiole while the other Rune Angels go on vacation.

Things you should know:

1) I like to use Japanese suffixes in my work when I find the English equivalents don't provide the same meaning/feeling. For example, "Mayers-shirei" and "Commander Mayers" are pretty much equal. However, "Mr. Shiranami" and "Shiranami-san" give off different vibes to me. And don't even get me started on how to convert "Nano-chan" into English.

2) Nano-Nano refers to Anise as "Oya-bun", a term used by Yakuza gangsters when referring to their direct superior.

3) I can't think of a way to accurately express Nano's "no da" endings, so I'm simply tacking on "no da" to her sentences.

4) The following suffixes are based on the Del-Rey manga notes.

"-san" - used when referring to someone of roughly equal social status

"-kun" - used to refer to a male of similar or younger age, especially when not particularly close.

"-chan" - used to refer to a girl (normally younger). Implies cuteness.

"-rank" - used when someone has a rank of some sort. For example, Tact could be addressed as "Mayers-shirei", meaning Commander Mayers (because he is commander of the Luxiole) or as "Mayers-junshou", meaning Commodore Mayers (Commodore being his military rank). A member of the Luxiole crew would refer to Tact as Commander Mayers because he's their commanding officer, but someone from another ship or unit would refer to him by his proper military rank of Commodore.

"blank" - depending on how you use it, not using any suffixes is either a great honour or a great insult. To not use suffixes is to imply you are very close to someone. Alternatively, it could imply that you believe the person is not worthy of addressing with a suffix. There are a few occasions where one could get away with not using suffixes without being considered rude or familiar. Shiva, for example, always refers to Tact as Mayers. Since Shiva's the ruler of the Transbaal Empire and therefore far above Tact in station, suffixes are moot.

**A new challenger?! Katherine the maid girl appears!**

() Resort Planet Hokkori ()

Anise Azeat, the treasure-hunting Rune Angel and pilot of the Relic Raider Emblem Frame lay on the beach of the famed resort planet Hokkori. The pretty redhead looked over lazily to where her teammates were playing some game from EDEN. Apricot Sakuraba, the 14-year old native of EDEN and pilot of the Cross Caliber, was explaining the rules. Anise half-listened to the perky teen. Something about blindfolding someone, then having the others direct him (or her, in this case) to some sort of huge, round, green-and-black fruit so that the blindfolded one could whack it with a stick. There was a short discussion about where to find a stick on a clear, pristine beach that had scarcely any debris, but Lily C. Sherbert offered her sword in place of a stick and her sword belt as a blindfold. "Just what you'd expect from a Knight of Celdar," Anise muttered to herself. She'd teased the older girl about bringing a sword to a beach, but now it looked like it was a happy coincidence.

"Oya-bun!" Anise turned her head to see Nano-Nano Pudding, pilot of the First Aider Emblem Frame and nano-machine specialist, peering at her. The younger girl's long, white tail waved behind her lazily as she asked, "Oya-bun, don't you want to join us no da?"

Anise waved lazily. "Nah, I'm fine. Just wanna sit back and relax right now."

"Okay no da!" Nano-Nano hopped to her feet and ran over to the others. "Then Nano-Nano'll save you a slice of watermelon no da!"

"'kay!" Anise waved as she put on a pair of sunglasses. It usually wasn't her habit to sleep after a meal, but after 2 bowls of 1000 degree curry she felt a little nap was in order. As her eyes drooped, she happened to look over in the direction of the others. Tequilla Marjoram, the Spell Caster's pilot and Rune Angel resident sorceress, was arguing with Nano-Nano about who should go first. Rico was trying to stop the squabbling, but wasn't having much luck. Normally, Kazuya would step in and solve the problem, but he wasn't with them. She could imagine him now, waving his arms and trying desperately to calm the situation by convincing the others to compromise.

Anise's eyes snapped open. Somehow, it wasn't the same without Kazuya. It wasn't as though the Rune Angels didn't hang out together without him, it was just that it was a bit odd not to have their captain along to tease.

Suddenly finding she didn't feel sleepy anymore, Anise sat up. "What the heck was up with that guy?" she muttered to herself. "Weird enough he gave use that Hokkori Specialty Pass, but then he doesn't want to come with us!"

She crossed her arms grumpily. She was planning to ask him to join her in a treasure hunting contest, but then he had to go and spoil her plans by staying behind. "Probably wanted to pay me back for that kiss thing." She flopped back onto her blanket. "That's so unmanly... Dammit!" She sat back up. Now she was seriously in the mood to work off some aggression.

Leaping to her feet, she ran to where Tequilla and Nano-Nano were still arguing. "Hey! Lemme try smacking that waterlemon!"

"Oya-bun! It's not waterlemon, it's watermelon no da!"

* * *

() Battleship Luxiole - Landing bay ()

The shuttle landed on the runway and slid into the hangar. The door opened with a hiss and the ladder lowered from the doorway. "Aaaaah! We're back, we're back no da!" Nano-Nano ran down the ladder and hopped off the last step, landing lightly and whirling around with a grin on her face.

"Hey, Nano! Don't run down stairs like that!" Anise walked down the ladder, stretching her arms above her head. "Whew! It's good to be back."

"Indeed." Lily followed Anise down, her arms crossed. "Now we're all rested and ready for the battles ahead."

Kahlua Marjoram, Tequilla's other half, was the next one down. "I wonder if there's anything we can do to help out?"

"That's right," Rico agreed as she exited the craft. "We should try to help now that we're back."

"But before that, why don't we go unpack?" Lily suggested. The Angels all paused to look at the surprisingly small bags they were carrying. Lily, out of habit, didn't carry much. The largest item she had was her sword and scabbard. Nano-Nano could simply create any clothes she needed, and so she only carried a small toiletries bag. Anise, like Lily, didn't carry much while Rico had a relatively normal-sized bag. Kahlua's luggage was the largest, since she was quite literally packing for two.

"I'm going over to the park for a bit first," Anise said. "I'm all stiff from riding in that shuttle." She walked off, swinging her bag over her back.

"Ah, Oya-bun!" Nano-Nano called as she ran after Anise. "Nano-Nano wants to go too no da!"

"Hey, wait, Nano-chan! Anise-san!" Rico called out in vain as the two left.

() Battleship Luxiole – 2nd deck Corridors ()

"Looks like everything's okay," Anise noted as she and Nano-Nano walked through the corridors towards the park.

Nano-Nano nodded in agreement. "That's right no da...hm?"

"What is it?"

"Kazuya no da."

Anise looked over to see a rather strange sight. It was the acting captain of the Rune Angel troupe, Kazuya Shiranami. That wasn't what was strange. The strange thing was how he was acting. He was hugging the wall, his bright blue eyes darting around shiftily. He silently made his way to a door, then tapped the keyboard. Anise and Nano-Nano continued to watch as the door slid open and Kazuya slipped inside, the door sliding shut behind him.

Anise and Nano-Nano stared at the door silently, then exchanged glances. "What was that about?" Anise wondered aloud as she studied the sign next to it. "The Tea Lounge employee entrance?"

Nano-Nano shrugged and tugged on the older girl's arm. "Oya-bun! The park, the park no da!"

"Ah...yeah." Anise absent-mindedly walked off, sending a final curious glance at the door.

While Kazuya's odd behaviour was rather strange, Anise didn't lose any sleep over it. Maybe he needed to use the Tea Lounge kitchen for some reason. It was probably nothing.

Anise chuckled to herself as another possibility came to mind. Considering how often Kazuya hung out with their weirdo commander Tact Mayers, she supposed it was inevitable Tact's weirdness rubbed off on him. Never could tell just what was going on in that blue-haired commodore's head.

* * *

() Battleship Luxiole – 2nd deck Corridors, the next day ()

"Agh, dammit!" Anise cursed as she jogged back to the cafeteria. As was his habit after a briefing, Tact had treated the Rune Angels to a meal. This pleased Anise, who loved her food almost as much as she loved exercise and treasure-hunting. On this occasion, however, her love had gotten the better of her and she now felt like a bloated puffer fish. Ignoring Rico's reminder that one shouldn't exercise right after a meal, Anise had rushed over to the Luxiole's park to work out.

Once there, she decided to begin with a quick lap around the park. "Huh…better take my coat off," she muttered to herself. Last time she'd worn her coat during a workout, it'd gotten so sweat soaked that she'd had to wash it twice to get the smell out. She hadn't noticed the smell herself, but Tequilla threatened to burn her hair off if she didn't do something about it.

It was then she realized she couldn't take her coat off because she wasn't wearing it. "Huh…? Now where did I…" Smacking her fist into her palm, she rushed back to the cafeteria. She'd completely forgotten she'd taken her coat off because Nano-Nano was slobbering over her sirloin steak (and her!) earlier.

As she drew near, she noticed Kazuya walking towards the Tea Lounge. Pausing in mid-step, she realized he wasn't so much as walking as he was sneaking towards the Tea Lounge. As she continued to watch, he inched towards the employee entrance. The doors slid open and Kazuya vanished inside.

Shrugging, Anise walked into the cafeteria and saw her coat draped over a chair, just where she'd left it.

Once she emerged (now wearing the wayward clothing), she pursed her lips. "That does it, I can't ignore it." She walked over to the Tea Lounge and opened the door.

* * *

() Battleship Luxiole - Tea Lounge ()

"Wh-what the...?!" Anise looked around in disbelief. The place was packed. There was almost always someone there, but this time, she couldn't see any seats anywhere. Heck, even standing room was rather limited. "What's goin' on here?"

"Katherine-chan! Over here, over here!" A voice Anise recognised as the convenience store clerk called. A waitress ran over carrying a pad. "I'll have this please."

The waitress nodded, but then a security man called out, "Katherine-san! I'd like to order please!" The waitress ran over to him, nodding as he pointed out the items he wanted.

"Hm...a new face," Anise noted as the waitress ran around, taking orders and handing them to the head waitress Melba. "Hey, pretty cute." The new girl was roughly her height, a bit taller thanks to the heels she was wearing. She had long, brown hair that flowed down her shoulders and framed her face nicely. She wore only the slightest hint of lipstick. Her lightly tanned skin and black uniform contrasted nicely with the white of her apron and lace. Her eyes were what caught Anise's attention the most. They were a brilliant shade of blue and reminded Anise of Kazuya's eyes. And speaking of Kazuya...

"Ah, Anise-san!" Melba, the cute green-haired waitress walked over. "Welcome back!"

"Oh...thanks."

Anise's off-hand reply caught Melba's attention. "Is something wrong?"

"Is that a new girl?" Anise asked, gesturing at Katherine. She had to admit, the girl was handling the crowd well.

"O-oh...you mean Katherine-san?" Melba asked, her eye twitching slightly. "Yes, she's new."

"Pretty cute, isn't she?"

"Y-yeah." Melba continued to smile, but it faltered just a tiny bit. It was almost as though she was bitter or jealous about something.

"Anyway, have you seen Kazuya?"

"K-K-K-Kazuya-san?" Melba stammered, sweat appearing on her brow.

"Yeah," Anise nodded. "I saw him coming this way."

"Oh...Kazuya-san is...er..." Melba suddenly pointed at the ground. "Ah! A 500 galla coin!"

"What?! Where? Where?" Anise dived onto the floor and dug around with her hands. She could almost swear she could hear Melba muttering, "Think! Think!", but that didn't matter. All that mattered was the coin. "Hey, where is it? Where's that coin?"

"Pin-pon!"

"Pin-pon?" Anise repeated, confused.

"It's nothing," Melba assured her.

"Well, what about that coin? That 500 galla coin?"

"Oh. I just imagined it."

"What?!" Anise flew back to her feet.

"Anyway," Melba continued, ignoring the glare Anise was sending in her direction, "about Kazuya-san. I chased him off."

"Chased him off?"

"Yes. He's actually," Melba leaned in as if to impart a great secret, "one of Katherine's biggest fans!"

"Whaaa-?!" This was news to Anise.

"Yes, it's true! He comes here every day!" Melba rubbed the back of her head and giggled. "But as you can see there're so many people here today I had to shoo him out."

"Hou..." Anise glanced at the new girl again. "So Kazuya's into that kinda girl, huh?" Anise kept watching Katherine as she handled orders. "Well, whatever." So Kazuya had a thing for maids. That was none of her business. "Well," she said to Melba, "I'll be goin' then. Sorry to bother you."

"No, not a problem. Please come again!" Once again, Anise got the impression that Melba was hiding something. There was something about the way she looked at Katherine that was decidedly suspicious. As she walked away, it hit her. The Tea Lounge had never been that packed before. No doubt Melba was bitter than some newbie had everybody eating out of the palm of her hand. Nodding to herself and praising her intelligence, Anise continued on her way.

* * *

() Battleship Luxiole 3rd deck - Anise's room ()

A couple of hours later, Anise was in her room checking on some of her treasure hunting tools. The latest in treasure hunting technology, she was sure they'd more than pay for themselves once she figured out how to make them work. The instruction booklets lay scattered all over the floor. Anise was an experienced treasure hunter, after all. She didn't need a dumb booklet telling her how to work things!

"Hm...this looks like this should go..." Anise mumbled to herself as she unfolded part of a spherical tool. "Ah, I think I got it now..."

"To the Rune Angel Troupe, prepare for emergency launch! Once again, Rune Angel Troupe, prepare for emergency launch!"

"Wha-?" Anise's head snapped up at the sudden announcement. Dumping the tool onto the floor, she dashed out the door and began heading for the briefing room.

"Second Lieutenant Azeat!" Anise paused in mid-step as Lily ran by. "There isn't any time for a regular briefing! Commander Mayers will brief us once we launch!"

"Got it!" Anise joined her dark-haired teammate in a mad dash for the hangar.

"Hurry, you're the last ones!" Cornett, the assistant head of the engineer corps called as she prepped the Emblem Frames.

"Sorry we're late!" Anise called as she flipped onto the walkways and ran for the Relic Raider.

"Launch preparations set!" Cornett reported as the Emblem Frames were raised into position. The far walls of the Luxiole's hanger parted, allowing the Emblem Frames to lift into position. The magnetic grips disengaged and the Lost Technology craft were on their way.

* * *

() Asteroid field ()

"Rune Angels, reporting!" Kazuya signalled to the Luxiole as the Emblem Frames got into formation. As the communication links were established, the faces of the Rune Angel troupe appeared on small screens.

Rico was the first to report in. "Number 1, here!"

Tequilla's face appeared next. "Number 2, ready!" she declared.

"Number 3, all set!" Anise clapped her hands in anticipation.

"Number 4, all systems ready," Lily reported.

"Number 5, ready to go no da!" Nano-Nano gripped her controls, her tail swishing side-to-side.

"Number 0, ready to begin!" Instead of the familiar sight of Kazuya's reassuring face, all that appeared was a blank screen.

"Huh?" On the Luxiole's bridge, Commodore Tact Mayers blinked to make sure he was seeing things right. "Kazuya, we're not getting a visual."

"I'm not either," Rico reported, quickly echoed by the others.

"Eh?" Kazuya sounded puzzled. "Must...er...must be something wrong with the camera." Before anyone else could say anything, he added, "So, Commander Mayers, what's the emergency?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Tact looked unconvinced by Kazuya's explanation, but let it slide. "We picked up an enemy fleet inbound. We're going to intercept them."

"A pre-emptive strike fleet?" Lily asked.

Tact shook his head as the map of the area was displayed. "Not likely. The fleet's made up of fast-moving ships. It's more likely a recon fleet." The area was filled with sizable asteroids, meaning that maneuverability was limited. "The enemy are spread out among the asteroids. We've got to take them down before they can report back."

"Understood!" Kazuya quickly mulled his options. "The enemy are fast-attack ships, huh...? Then if it's speed..."

"I gotcha," Anise grinned. "Relic Raider, stand by!"

"Brave Heart, beginning docking sequence!" The Relic Raider kept its speed steady as Kazuya brought his Brave Heart into position. The two craft docked seamlessly, as they'd done so many times in the past. With its power now boosted, the Relic Raider led the other Emblem Frames on the attack.

* * *

() Battleship Luxiole – Hangar ()

The battle had gone quickly. Despite the unexpected arrival of enemy cruisers and a couple of battleships, the Rune Angels made short work of the enemy fleet and were now returning to base. Anise sat back and waited for the clear signal so she could get back to her tools. Once the familiar bump had subsided, Anise left the cockpit and landed lightly on the gangway. "Ah, great work out there!" Cornett said by way of greeting. "You really didn't leave much of'em, did ya?"

Anise chuckled. "Hey, once Kazuya and me get together, nothin' stands in our way!" She pumped her arm to emphasise her point. "Speakin' of Kazuya, did he tell you something's wrong with the camera in his cockpit?"

"There is?"

"Yeah. We couldn't see Kazuya at all just now." Anise tilted her head. "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Nope. Didn't even see Kazuya-han." Cornett shrugged. "Must've been in a really hurry if he didn't even stop to chat with his biggest fan."

That caught Anise's attention. "Biggest fan? Kazuya? Kazuya has a fan?!"

Cornett nodded. "I know! I couldn't believe it either! And to think it's that girl!"

"What girl?"

"You know, that pretty waitress that everybody's talking about!"

Anise blinked. "Are you sure?!"

"Sure as sure!" Cornett insisted. "She was here with that waitress lady just before you all launched. Wanted to watch Kazuya-han fly into action or somethin'."

Anise allowed a low whistle to escape her lips. "Every jewel has a flaw, huh. She must have pretty bad taste in men, then."

Cornett only laughed as the other Angels approached. "Anise-san!" Rico called. "It's almost dinner time so we're going over to the cafeteria!"

"Okay! I'll be right there!" Anise called back. She turned back to Cornett. "Alright, thanks for the gossip. I'll leave Relic Raider to you!"

"Leave it to us!" Cornett waved as Anise ran off.

* * *

() Battleship Luxiole 3rd deck - corridors ()

Anise wanted to put away her equipment before going in for dinner. Didn't want to trip over anything delicate when she was nice and full, after all. Rather than take the lift, the fiery redhead chose to run up the stairs and made it in record time. Grinning to herself and pleased that her training was paying off, she began heading to her room when she heard something.

It sounded like... footsteps?

Peering around the corners, Anise saw something that made her pause. It was the waitress girl, Katherine. She was acting very suspiciously, looking left and right before stealthily making her way through the corridors. She made her way soundlessly towards one of the rooms. Her bright blue eyes continued to dart around as she typed in the code to allow her entrance. The door slid open and the girl froze at the sound. Apparently assured there were no witnesses, the girl slipped inside and shut the door.

Anise walked out looking puzzled. The look of befuddlement changed when she saw whose room the girl had entered. "H-hey..." she whispered to herself. "Are you serious?"

On the door, quite clearly written, was the name of the room's occupant: "Kazuya Shiranami."

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Hokkori Specialty Pass was an item Tact handed over to Kazuya shortly before the Rune Angels were allowed to visit the resort planet Hokkori. It is apparently a very rare, almost legendary item that gives the bearer virtually free reign of the planet. In Tact's words, anyone possessing such a card could enter any attraction, watch any show and try any ride he/she pleased. Tact meant for Kazuya to use it and strengthen his relationship with his chosen Angel. In the special route Kazuya gives it to the Rune Angels, who then proceed to giggle in a surprisingly creepy manner (even Lily!) when they realize just what the pass can do.

As you may have guessed, pin-pon is an onomotepia. It's the sound from Japanese game shows when a contestant gives the right answer.


End file.
